I've been writing and reviewing for magazines like FUZZ Magazine, Backstage, Hard Roxx, Sweden Rock Magazine, Metal Zone etc. I'm still occationally reviewing and blogging for www.metalcentral.net.
As Metalcovenant is in Swedish, you'll find some of my reviews translated here.
Have you released a CD you'd like me to review? Send me a copy! Mail me for an address: stark(at)starkmusic(dot)net
Cheers!
Janne Stark

Monday, 2 April 2012

ABSORBING THE PAIN - H3ads Up (CD)

Damn, someone put a big phat sledgehammer in my mailbox. It said “Absorbing The Pain – H3ads Up” on it. This is the third album from this Swedish power pack. In my review of the previousl album, Songs Of Hate With Love”, I compared the band to Black Label Society with singer Jonas a bit reminiscent of Band Of Spice singer Christian “Spice” Sjöstrand. I still stand by that statement. The band has simply written another bunch of ball-breaking tracks in the same tradition, but without repeating themselves. Despite the concrete heavy riffing there are melodies, and with melodies I don’t mean any cheesy pop-lines, but classic hard rock melodies. The track Dimetime reminded me a bit of the best tracks of the last B-Thong album (where Mustasch’s Gyllenhammar had taken over the vocals), but with a chorus that owes more to Pantera in their prime. There are riffs here that gives me goosbumps, like the phat seven string treatment in Bully and Basement. The latter has a really cool verse, with a quite unexpected floating style. Hollow adds some acoustic guitars to the platter. The song is quite cool, but I’m not really one hundred percent into the vocals on this one. Jonas’ vocals are otherwise one of the strong points on the album. Peo also gets to show some good solid guitar shreddding, here as well. No use going through all the songs, simply because they all rock, each one in its own way. Sure, it’s heavy as hell, but it’s still quite diverse. A killer album, again!
Janne Stark
Label: Samsound/Rambo
Country: Sweden
Year: 2012

About me

I'm a Swedish guitarist, writer and record collector. I've recorded a bunch of albums/CDs with bands like OVERDRIVE, LOCOMOTIVE BREATH, BALLS, MOUNTAIN OF POWER, ZELLO, PLANET ALLIANCE, plus made guest appearances on stuff by NARNIA, AUDIOVISION, CHRIS CATENA, FAITH, BLINDED COLONY, THALAMUS, M.O.B, TOWER OF STONE, VII GATES etc.
I'm currently involved in the following bands/projects: GRAND DESIGN, MOUNTAIN OF POWER, OVERDRIVE, ZOOM CLUB and CONSTANCIA
I've been writing for magazines like FUZZ, Backstage, Kool Kat News, Hard Roxx, Sweden Rock Magazine etc and still write for www.metalcentral.net and www.metalcovenant.com, plus I'm the author of the three volumes of "The Encyclopedia of Swedish Hard Rock And Heavy Metal"!
I have a lovely wife, two crazy cats and two beautiful daughters.